Monthly Archives: September 2019

In celebration of National Chewing Gum Day (September 30th), we’re taking a closer look at America’s obsession with chewing, chomping, popping, cracking, and breath-freshening with chewing gum.

Skulls – here in the US, they’re not just for Halloween anymore. Enter Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. As reported by USA Today, this Mexican celebration is going mainstream, with those of non-Mexican descent joining in on the fun. In fact, several US cities like San Francisco, San Antonio, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and Albuquerque host Day of the Dead parades and other festivities. Major retailers like Target, Party City, and Amazon have jumped on the Day of the Dead bandwagon, adding a selection of decorations and treats. Their motivation – tap into the holiday’s growing popularity, but also the growing buying power of the Hispanic population.

According to Nielsen, Hispanics represent 18 percent of the US population, and predict their buying power to grow from $1.4 trillion in 2016 to $1.8 trillion by 2021. This potential has retailers upping their offerings around Hispanic holidays and other events. With Day of the

It’s fall — the temps are dropping, we’re pulling on sweaters and wrapping scarves — bring on the pumpkin! Pumpkin spice continues to reign as the king of fall flavors, spurring large chains like Starbucks™ and Dunkin® to push the release of their coveted pumpkin-flavored beverages back to August — way before the start of fall (which is September 23rd, by the way). Packaged food manufacturers continue to jump on the flavor bandwagon, releasing new special edition fall products every year. The reason for this cult following of fall flavored anything? Scarcity aka Limited Time Offer (LTO) marketing. Scarcity marketing has proven to give sales a boost. Anyone who has ever witnessed a certain large chain store offer “designer” goods in limited quantities can attest to the long lines created during these events.

Scarcity marketing creates the perception that items out for a limited time are more precious and more valuable than an item available all year. Along with building buzz for

Top Allergen-free Treats to Take some of the Scare out of Halloween

Halloween is one of the candy industry’s busiest holidays with consumers spending approximately 2.6 billion on candy in 2018, according to the trade publication Candy Industry. While a time of revelry and fun, it can be challenging for the 5.6 million children under 18 in the US who may have food sensitivities and food allergies. Their time is often spent hunting through labels to find fun and tasty allergy-free treats. Make the search easy for kids and their parents by creating a section in your shop filled with “free-from” candy favorites.